As the paid media industry enters 2026, optimism and uncertainty are rising in equal measure. AI is reshaping how demand is discovered, measured, and scaled, while pressure on margins, profitability, and accountability continues to intensify. We asked our in-house experts what they’re most hopeful and most concerned about in the year ahead, spanning paid search, paid social, automation, measurement, and commercial decision-making.

By the way, happy new year everyone!

AI Search and LLM Traffic in 2026: Opportunity Without Measurement Clarity

Filippo Cecchetti - Senior Director / Digital Marketing

In 2026, I’m optimistic about LLMs transitioning from experimental surfaces into accountable growth channels, particularly within Google’s ecosystem. We’ve already tested Google’s Nano Banana Pro for creative optimization, signaling a shift toward AI-native image and video refinement inside Google Ads. I’m also encouraged by early LLM visibility frameworks and expect standardized, actionable insights across ChatGPT, Google, and other major LLMs to redefine discovery beyond traditional search.

My biggest concern is how quickly traffic is shifting from paid and organic search toward referrals and LLM-driven experiences, without equivalent advances in measurement. As discovery increasingly happens inside AI surfaces, attribution becomes fragmented. Without clearer transparency into how LLM interactions influence the full customer journey, advertisers risk undervaluing paid and organic efforts that drive impact beyond last-click metrics.

The Automation Curve: Standing Out in an AI-Saturated Paid Media Landscape

Ioannis Koukoulis - Senior Director / Innovation Hub

We will see ChatGPT becoming an advertising/recommendations channel. This is not necessarily a thing that marketers should be scared about. ChatGPT might not become directly a platform from where people will go and buy products, but it will initially become the upper funnel platform, when customer journey starts with people asking ChatGPT for recommendations on what to buy.

The complete adoption of AI from performance marketers has raised the bar for creation. In the past, a good design, clever messaging, and creatives that stood out were enough to make a marketing campaign successful. We are already seeing a lot of creative repetitions. Only the marketers who realize that thinking out of the box is necessary to make the AI output stand out from the competition.

The Future of Paid Search: AI Orchestration, Incrementality, and Full-Funnel Impact

Larissa Misch - Director / Digital Marketing‍

In 2026, I’m excited about how AI is finally helping brands grow more holistically. With Asset Studio scaling creative, Demand Gen and Performance Max driving discovery, and Search capturing high-intent demand, we can orchestrate growth across the full funnel. I’m especially encouraged by the growing focus from our clients on incrementality, lifetime value, and value-based bidding enhancements through lifecycle goals.

My biggest concern is that automation keeps moving faster than governance and measurement. With more AI-driven placements, modeled conversions, and creative at scale, it’s easier than ever to grow spend without truly improving profitability or brand health. Without stronger incrementality frameworks, clearer visibility into what’s driving outcomes, and better brand suitability controls, retailers risk scaling activity that looks efficient, but isn’t actually building long-term value.

Industry Shifts in Paid Media: From Tool Proliferation to Decision Fatigue

Amy P. Tran - Senior Director / Growth

I’m hopeful that the industry will invest in people as much as platforms and tech this year. In 2025, AI cut process brilliantly, but it also diluted focus and human nuance – the glue between audience attention, business outcomes, and data. This is vital for paid media channels that require sharpness in both precision and creativity like paid social, which cannot excel without human oversight. In 2026, more AI-equipped humans will raise the bar. The real winners will stand out through judgment, not just tooling.

I’m concerned we’ll keep mistaking “new” for “better.” More betas, more black boxes, fewer explanations. Add decision fatigue from juggling Google, Meta, Microsoft, SEMrush, Similarweb, GA4, dashboards, alerts, and signals, and teams are left chasing noise. As transparency shrinks and expectations grow, paid media risks becoming reactive busy work, proving value that’s increasingly hard to see, explain, or control.

Profitable Growth in Paid Media: Why Margins Matter More Than Ever

Rosaria Alfano - Global Head of Digital Marketing

In 2026, growth at all costs is no longer defensible. I’m optimistic because better data, stronger automation, and clearer unit economics now allow paid media and AI to be held accountable for profit, not just scale. The opportunity is investing aggressively where marginal returns are proven, and deliberately slowing growth where efficiency breaks down.

My concern is that too many teams still optimize channels instead of commercial outcomes. Automation can mask inefficient growth and reward volume over value. Without anchoring media decisions to contribution margin and long-term economics, brands risk celebrating performance gains that look successful in-platform, but quietly erode profitability.

Paid Media as a Commercial Lever: The CFO-CMO Alignment Challenge

Enno Krey - Chief Commercial Officer

I’m hopeful retail and DTC marketing leaders will reclaim a true growth mandate by proving incremental impact on the P&L. CMOs must act like general managers, speak the CFO’s language and become customer champions - linking measurement and experimentation to revenue, margin, and long-term CLV, not just activity metrics.

I’m concerned we’ll keep mistaking attribution for incrementality. Without a marketing measurement model that is grounded in incrementality, budgets risk being optimized for short-term efficiency metrics, not long-term CLV and margin.

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From the entire Crealytics team, we wish our partners, readers, and everyone a great 2026. Looking to revamp your paid media activities across all channels with an agency? Reach out to us.

About Crealytics

Crealytics is an award-winning full-funnel digital marketing agency fueling the profitable growth of over 100 well-known B2C and B2B businesses, including ASOS, The Hut Group, Staples and Urban Outfitters. A global company with an inclusive team of 100+ international employees, we operate from our hubs in Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, and Mumbai.